Faux Cross Stitch using Sketch Pens

Hello, hello - Karen here with a little idea I had for using my Silhouette and sketch pens to make a faux cross stitch pattern.

The pattern I chose took quite a while to make but it could be used to a lesser degree to make a card or just a smaller pattern on a layout.

There are many free cross stitch patterns on the internet and DMC have a great range - this is where I got my one.

I chose one that was deemed to be a quick project.  It did in fact take me about 90 minutes to set it all out but well worth the time as I now have a lovely design saved for future projects.

The first thing I did was to change the grid on my design space to 1 inch spacing and 10 divisions.

Next I downloaded my chosen pattern and opened it.  Because it is a pdf file you will get a screen like this one.

After resizing the pattern to match the size of the grid on my page I zoomed in and started to do my 'cross stitch'.  Using Apple Pie Sketch font I drew a 'x', zoomed in and used the square 'handles' to stretch it to exactly fit one square.

Now for the fun part - colouring the squares and 'cross stitching' your pattern.  Use the line style pallet to choose the colour and also increse the line thickness to 1 point to make it easier to see.  I found using the replicate panel made it quicker to make my pattern and once a 'stitch or stitches' were replicated I could quickly place them where I wanted. 

I didn't copy the whole pattern just a segment and then altered it to my liking.

Once I was happy I replicated it, adjusting the angle as necessary, to give me a cross stitch wreath. 

To draw it with my sketch pens I chose the line option on the send screen and drew my colours two at a time. 

It was such fun watching my machine cross stitch this pattern for me and I am really pleased with the results.